Sterling Silver Figaro 1+1 Diamond-Cut Chain

A Figaro chain runs a repeating sequence of one long link followed by one or more short ones, in flattened curb section, diamond-cut to a bright finish. The ratio is what names it.

The alternating link lengths scatter light unevenly along the chain, so it reads as wider and more textured than a uniform link of the same gauge.

This is the finest gauge in the style, and the one to choose for a light pendant or for layering under something heavier.

Lengths run from 40 to 55 cm. 40 cm sits at the base of the throat; 45 cm sits on the collarbone and is the most common pendant length; 55 cm sits at the top of the sternum.

Specification

• Metal: sterling silver (925)
• Style: Diamond-cut Figaro chain
• Lengths available: 40cm, 45cm, 55cm
• Finish: Diamond-cut and polished
• Supplier reference: FD41
• Sold as: Single piece

Sterling silver is 925 parts per thousand fine silver, the balance copper. The copper is what makes it workable — fine silver on its own is too soft to hold a form — and it is also why sterling tarnishes: the copper reacts with sulphur in the air. Tarnish is a surface film, not corrosion. It polishes off with a silver cloth and the metal beneath is unchanged.

Servicing. Adjust length at a full pattern repeat so the rhythm stays true through the join. Store silver closed — a box or a zip bag — when it is not being worn. Tarnish is driven by air rather than by wear, so the pieces that sit in the open are the ones that darken first.